Meru University Of Science And Technology Kenya, The idea of establishing a University dates back many years to the early1960s when the NjuriNcheke (Council of elders of the Meru people) conceived of an idea of establishing an institution of higher education in Meru. It was in the mid-1960s soon after Kenya’s Independence that the elders initiated the process of establishing the institution.
The idea was first floated to the government at a time when it was interested in training the youth of the nation in order to equip them with skills in various technical fields to enable them work in the upcoming industries and other sectors that required qualified manpower and also to meet local and national economic developmental needs. Meru College of Technology (MECOTECH) was therefore one of several institutions suggested by the government.
Consequently, the elders, with the help of the then Minister of Lands, the late Hon. Jackson Angaine, obtained and set aside 641 acres of land near the Njuri Ncheke’s Shrine at Nchiru for this purpose. In the meantime, MECOTECH opened its first offices at the Meru Municipal Hall in 1979 Room No. 217.
In June 1983, MECOTECH moved to Kianjai from the Municipal Hall office and occupied an 8 acre plot leased near Kianjai market. Physical facilities at this site were bought from MOWLEM Construction Company. All structures were semi-permanent at the time.Thus, the Meru College of Technology (MECOTECH) was founded at the Kianjai Market site and opened its doors to its first batch of students in 1983 with an initial intake of fifty four (54) students. The pioneer students were all enrolled fora two year course in Agriculture. Later in May 1985,a 3 year course in Motor Vehicle Mechanics was introduced and later followed in September 1987,by the Building Technology Craft I – III courses.
In April 1991, the College moved to thevast 641 acres land at Nchiru LR No. 1595/ Uringu 1. Under the name Meru College of Technology (MECOTECH) where courses in Accounts and Secretarial Studies (Intermediate and Final) were introduced in September 1992 and May 1993, respectively.MECOTECH continued offering diploma and certificate courses in automotive engineering, agriculture and extension, information technology, accounting, secretarial, electrical engineering, building and masonry and business administration, among others.
In 2008, the Government of Kenya converted Meru College of Technology (MECOTECH) into a University and named it the Meru University College of Science and Technology (MUCST) it was established through Legal Notice No. 103 of 18th July 2008 as a constituent college of Jomo Kenyatta University of Agriculture and Technology.
MUCST admitted its pioneer students in May 2009. The forty five (45) students were enrolled in three (3) degree programmes namely; Bachelor of Commerce (B-COM), Bachelor of Business Information Technology (BBIT), and Bachelor of Science in Information Technology (B.Sc. IT). The institution has since grown to offer four (4) Masters programmes, thirteen (13) Degree programmes, eight (8) Diploma and five (5) Certificate programmes.
MUCST was formally launched by His Excellency Hon. MwaiKibaki C.G.H., M.P., President and Commander-In-Chief of the armed forces of the Republic of Kenya on Saturday 17th April, 2010
Since 2009, MUST has continued to play a leading role in the development and expansion of opportunities for higher education and research in Agriculture, Forestry, Mining, Energy, Water and Environmental Science in arid and semi-arid lands. MUST is now well-positioned to take a lead in the emerging national agenda as we seek to contribute positively to supporting education, innovation, technology transfer, and socio-economic development of our country. Our emphasis on expanding opportunities in the STEM disciplines namely; Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics will greatly contribute to the achievement of the Kenya Vision 2030 as well as being an important component of rising to meet our country’s competitiveness challenge
Our Profile
The idea of establishing a University dates back many years to the early 1960s when the Njuri Ncheke (Council of elders of the Meru people) conceived an idea of establishing an institution of higher education in Meru. It was in the mid-1960s soon after Kenya’s Independence that the elders initiated the process of establishing the institution. The idea was first floated to the government at a time when it was interested in training the youth of the nation in order to equip them with skills in various technical fields to enable them work in the upcoming industries and other sectors that required qualified manpower and also to meet local and national economic developmental needs. Meru College of Technology (MECOTECH) was therefore one of several institutions suggested by the Government.
In 2008, the Government of Kenya converted Meru College of Technology (MECOTECH) into a University and named it Meru University College of Science and Technology (MUCST). It was established through Legal Notice No. 103 of 18th July 2008 as a constituent college of Jomo Kenyatta University of Agriculture and Technology (JKUAT).
Meru University of Science and Technology (MUST) was established as a full-fledged University following the Award of Charter on 1st March, 2013. Subsequently, Dr. James N. Mwangi, CBS was appointed the first Chancellor.
MUST Main Campus is situated 15km from Meru town along the Meru-Maua road. The University has also opened a campus in Meru Town at the Hart Towers and a learning centre at Marimba.
Since its inception, Meru University of Science and Technology has continued to play a leading role in the development and expansion of opportunities for higher education and research. This indeed is the culmination of a process that has seen the University achieve tremendous growth in curriculum development, staff capacity development, student enrolment, infrastructure development as well as research and collaborations.
In pursuit of our mission to provide Quality University education, training and research in Science, Technology and Innovation, the University has successfully implemented the Quality Management System and was the first University in Kenya to be awarded the ISO 9001:2015 certification.